INS AND OUTS OF THE YORK UNIFORM

Are you new to York or looking for more information on our school uniform? Well, look no further! This article will provide you with the ins and outs of school uniforms. Everything from ties to shoes… Here is your one-stop-shop for all things uniform!

Summer Uniform:

Summer uniform starts on the first day of school and typically ends around Thanksgiving. Summer uniform resumes in May and proceeds to the end of the school year. Winter uniforms may be worn in summer, but summer uniforms may not be worn in winter. York doesn’t like cold kids. 

There are sometimes exceptions as to when summer uniforms can be worn: sometimes you will be asked to wear “first dress uniform.” See below for more information. 

Summer uniform is pretty basic: you get to wear a polo shirt, whether that be navy blue or white. Neither colour is preferred nor carries any significance. If you are chilly with the summer/fall breeze, you can wear a school navy blue quarter zip or crew neck. As for bottoms, you can wear grey pants, the grey skirt or khaki shorts depending on your preference. You can wear either white or grey uniform socks accompanied by any running shoes of your choosing, though black or brown leather shoes are always acceptable. Summer uniform is an amazing opportunity to show your personal fashion flair while still matching with the school crew!

Winter Uniform:

Winter uniforms can be worn throughout the entire school year. It certainly is more formal than summer uniform, but equally as comfy! For winter uniform tops, you can wear a long sleeve that is navy blue or white. Once again, neither colour is preferred nor carries any significance. If you aren’t feeling like a polo, you can wear a white button-up shirt “a blue.” What’s “a blue” you may ask? Well when you wear a white shirt, you need to accompany it with an additional blue item, whether this is the York tie, quarter zip, v-neck or sweater vest! That additional item is up to you. As for winter uniform bottoms, you need to wear the grey skirt or grey dress pants. Alongside that, you wear grey socks and shoes that are, in the uniform handbook’s words, “black/brown leather and polishable shoes.” Black leather and polishable Adidas count… shhhhhh. Oh! Final thing! If you’re wearing pants, make sure to tuck in your shirt! You don’t want a uniform slip (see below)!

First Dress:

“First dress!” Sounds fancy, right? First dress simply means winter uniform but instead of the option of a polo or “a blue” of your choice, you must wear the white-collar shirt, a tie and a York blazer. The standard York tie is navy blue with our school’s crest on it. You can collect pins on your blazer to look extra spiffy on picture days. The colour of the tie you wear can correspond to your involvement in the student council. For example, dark green represents the middle school student council, silver represents council members in grades 9-10, red represents “executive” council members (those in grades 11-12), and yellow represents mentors. In summary, the first dress includes your polishable black/brown shoes, grey socks, skirt or pants, white button-up shirt, tie and blazer. 

Gym Uniform:

Exercise is fun, ain’t it? Well, gym uniform is arguably even more fun! On days you have gym class, bring your gym uniform along with you for a quick change and to stay fresh! The gym uniform top comes with a few options: a grey workout shirt with your house team, your house shirt or merch from a school sports team you play on. As for bottoms, you can wear basketball shorts (short or long), or you can wear solid-print pants of your choosing. As for your feet? Any socks with any running shoes - make sure the running shoes work both indoors and outdoors as the location of your gym classes sometimes alternates. You will know of your gym class units beforehand to come prepared with any materials you will need. Final thing - on days you have a game for a sports team, you are allowed to wear your jersey or team outfit (decided by your coach) to increase your spirit prior to your game.

Casual Days!

According to the student handbook “on occasion, students are invited to come to school in casual dress. On these days, clothing must be neat, clean and should not display objectionable words, phrases, pictures or symbols. Students must dress respectably and never let their undergarments or midriffs show.” So much fun. Yes, even though York is a uniform school, sometimes we have casual days like spirit week, holiday events, Valentine’s day and other fun pop-up days! On these days, feel free to express yourself while showing off your spirit - whether it be wearing pink for anti-bullying awareness or an amazingly creative Halloween costume! Have fun with casual days. 

Consequences of Incorrect Uniform:

So this is kind of a bummer… But according to the student handbook uniform guide “students who are not wearing the correct uniform will be asked to remedy their uniform.” This means, in the nicest way possible, fix your uniform! If you come to school with the wrong uniform and get caught, you receive a uniform slip, also known as a “uniform infraction”. Essentially, if you collect a few, detention for you. So long story short… Wear your uniform and wait for casual days to go all out with casual swag.  

I hope that helped you better understand the complexities of York uniforms. Isn’t it nice to wake up in the morning and not really have to worry about what to wear? Uniforms now have so many options so find what you feel comfortable in and rock it! There are a few times throughout the year where preloved uniforms are sold if you need to update your uniform wardrobe. 

Enjoy the uniform, everyone. Stay sharp!